Memories ... Best Of: Atari 2600

As little more than a brainstorming exercise, I've decided to start a "best of" series using only the powers of my memory (no Internet cheating, etc.) ... the obvious disclaimer is that there may be inconsistencies, but bear with me. 

The idea is to capture an answer to the question "what's your earliest memory involving video games?" Or perhaps, "how have games positively impacted your life?"

Atari 2600:

I remember playing the vast majority of these games at my grandparents house on Holt street in Bellaire, a subdivision of Houston, starting around the age of 4 or 5 years old:

  • Combat (specifically Tanks)
  • Frogger
  • Pac-Man
  • Breakout
  • Space Invaders
  • Galaga
  • Pitfall

Excellent memories all-around ... my sister and I would sit together and take turns sitting in front of the old TV set. My most vivid memory is of Frogger ... I always hated to see the hero get crushed by oncoming traffic - then again, I've always loved animals. I'm not sure why my grandparents even had an Atari ... must have been just for us grandkids? In hindsight, that sure was a blessing ... I was a pretty lucky kid to be exposed to games at such a young age in the 1980's ... I wonder what that Atari cost my grandfather?  

Decisions, decisions ...

Python learning is going well ... my understanding is coming along nicely. I've begun to play with basic particle physics and collision detection ... so cool! 

Next steps in the programming world? I'm thinking Objective-C with the goal of publishing a simple iOS game at the end of it all.

I wrapped up my art class at UT as well. It was a great first class and I learned some good basic techniques that I can now transfer to different (technology-focused) mediums. I should find another class to take ... maybe something that's focused on a specific style? My brain is gravitating towards graphic novels at the moment ... just started reading some of Frank Miller's finer works: Ronin, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and Batman: Year One. No shortage of inspiration these days ...

Current disc in Xbox One? Destiny.

Current go-to downloaded game on Xbox One: Shadow of Mordor

Art Class & Unity

Tomorrow I start art classes at UT through the informal classes program ... it should be a fun way to learn some of the basic techniques in perspective drawing. Oh, I also picked up a copy of this book by Scott Robertson: 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933492732/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

... I'm planning on going through the Robertson book simultaneously ... my hope is that I come out of the next 4 weeks with a better foundation for understanding what concept art is all about in the context of game design.

Other updates ... I'm moving through a few different tutorials on Unity and that has been challenging but also very interesting. I feel like fairly soon I'll have the basics down and will be able to begin prototyping and playing around in the engine!

First Post

Well, here I am Internet ... I'm not entirely sure what I'll write here in the future ... but, as for now, I'll just start with a summary of what I'm currently learning.

I'm taking some online courses in Python and Blender - my hope is to use both in order to create a workable demo for some game concepts I have in my head.

Game development is of primary importance to me ... if I could be involved in any endeavor each day of my life, it would be related to the creation of games and experiences that delight people. The breadth of technologies out there to potentially learn is immense. This place to write things down is one step towards organizing my thoughts and progress in achieving my dream.  

So, my first high-level goal is to build a creative portfolio worth displaying. I'll need to learn a lot but I don't anticipate being a master in any particular field ... rather, I'd like to develop an aptitude and appreciation for the various key disciplines that I think are interesting and important. I'm sure my list will grow and change appreciably as time marches on but here's an initial stab:

  1. Python - object-oriented scripting language; good basis for programmatic logic
  2. Blender - open-source 3D animation tool
  3. Photography - appreciation of the world around us
  4. Arduino - fun with robotics; perhaps some real world animation
  5. Unity - I see this as a natural tool to graduate into, after Blender
  6. Sketches & Concept Art

My thought is that I can begin to build an online portfolio with some tangible example projects in the above categories. Let's see where we go from here.